A Soft Place to Land
by LadyDeb1970
Summary: Fourth in the Worlds Apart series:  After the events of 'Somebody's Little Girl,' Jack takes Lacey's advice and allows his current 'dance' partner to take care of him. . .yielding unexpected answers for the other man.


A Soft Place to Land

Disclaimer: Jack Harkness does not belong to me (though I really wish he did). . .he is the property, so to speak, of the BBC and Starz Studios. . .nor does the Ninth Doctor, who is mentioned in this fic. However, Tyler Pembroke and everyone else mentioned in this fic, are mine. If you'd like to borrow him or anyone else, that's fine. . .just please ask first and return them to me mostly intact.

Author's Notes: This is technically part of the _Worlds Apart_ series, taking place directly after the events of _Somebody's Little Girl_, but it's more of a PWP than anything. It wasn't posted to my account before now, because I wasn't entirely comfortable with it. Why now? I got better. I adored the chemistry between Christopher Eccleston and John Barrowman during those last five episodes of NuWho's first season and couldn't resist the impulse to bring back Nine. . .even if it wasn't actually Nine. Besides, Jack had a very bad night, and could use some serious comfort. No sex (I know I suck at writing slash, so please, no laughter), just a lot of petting. I don't think I missed any terms, but any Brit-pick would be appreciated.

September 1990  
>Madison, Wisconsin<br>A little past midnight  
>Home of Tyler Pembroke<p>

Tyler Pembroke took the call from Corinna Keller about half an hour before his. . .before Jack got home. She had surprisingly little to say, just that her sixteen-year-old daughter Lacey was attacked at her Homecoming Dance tonight. Surprise, surprise, Jack put his two cents worth in, and things quickly went pear-shaped. Tyler's words, not hers. _Take care of him_, was all Rinna had to say after briefing him. _Just. . .take care of him_. That could be taken one of two ways, coming from Colonel Keller's wife. . .shag him into the mattress until he was utterly senseless or touch him as if he was made of the finest china. On the other hand, so far as Tyler was concerned, he could do both. Why choose one or the other if you could do both?

So he was waiting when Jack arrived back at the apartment they shared for the last eight months, while Jack was investigating. . .something weird and exotic. . .and Tyler was a visiting lecturer at the University of Wisconsin. Tyler barely held back a flinch when he saw how exhausted Jack looked, his normally-bright eyes pinched with pain. Even his usual mega-watt smile was dimmed. Tyler enveloped him in a fierce embrace, and even more worrying, Jack leaned into him. The British professor swallowed hard. Oh, this was bad. Jack never allowed him to show weakness in front of Tyler. Maybe he did in front of the Kellers, but not him. It was bad enough that he saw Jack die while trying to talk down one of Tyler's students. It took Jack forever to forgive himself for being unable to save that boy. Tyler whispered, "What happened, Jack? Rinna told me there were problems at Lacey's Homecoming Dance." Slight understatement, that, but Tyler wouldn't worry about it at the moment.

Jack shook, ever so slightly, under Tyler's soothing hands. There would be no talking, not right now. That was fine. Tyler slid the braces from Jack's shoulders, leaning in to brush a light kiss against his lips, and then took both of Jack's hands. He knew enough from Rinna to guess that Jack probably died tonight. Every time he died, he reset, so there was no way of knowing how he died. But he held Jack's hands tightly, raising them to his lips and brushing a gentle kiss to Jack's knuckles. That drew another shudder, and Jack closed his eyes. Tyler gave the younger-looking man a quick once over, this time noticing the perforation in his shirt. Like. . .like the kind that resulted from a stab wound. Tyler whispered, "You were stabbed."

"Yes," Jack breathed, his eyes still closed, "A few boys were threatening Lacey. She intended to defend herself with a broom. . .or maybe a mop. Gotta give the girl credit for being resourceful." That was one word for it, but Tyler couldn't help smiling. Yeah, he could see the pint-sized moppet giving her would-be assailants hell with a broom or mop. He eased the blood-stained shirts free of Jack's trousers, and the other man whispered, "One of the boys panicked. He brought a knife to the dance, probably to scare Lacey, and you can guess the rest. . ." His voice trailed off, simply enjoying Tyler's touch.

Tyler smiled at the soft sigh of contentment that he drew as he stroked his fingers lightly along the other man's sides. He leaned forward and kissed Jack's forehead tenderly, continuing with the caresses. For the next several seconds, he did nothing other than those caresses and soft kisses. . .his closed eyelids, the tip of his nose, his cheeks, a brief peck on the lips, and the corners of his mouth. When Jack was sufficiently relaxed, Tyler kissed his forehead again, whispering, "Let me take you to bed, Jack. Let me take you to bed, and touch you, and kiss you. We don't have to make love, but let me take care of you tonight. Let me make you feel good."

Jack's eyes opened to half-mast and he offered Tyler a half-smile, whispering, "That was something Lacey said. She said I should let you take care of me tonight. Oh God, Tyler. The girl was nearly raped, and she was worrying about me." Tyler was sure that Lacey was worrying about Jack as much because of her near miss as anything else. It wasn't that Tyler doubted the teen's affection for Jack. But he learned over the years that people often distracted themselves from their own pain and worries by fretting over other people. Still, he would take what he could get. And it wasn't that he disliked Lacey Keller (okay, maybe he resented her a little. And wasn't that incredibly pathetic, resenting a child). She just wasn't his priority. Jack was.

With that in mind, he pivoted, swinging Jack with him. Jack started to speak, but Tyler grasped his face and kissed him. Hard. No more talking. No more thinking. No more worrying, no more feeling guilty. Just feeling good, just pleasure, just Tyler taking care of Jack, as Corinna requested (ordered). Still kissing, he walked Jack backward until he went sprawling onto their bed. His surprise made Tyler smile, but his vulnerability broke his heart. The man on the bed, who looked no older than his mid-thirties, was over a century old. He might never die. He already lost so many people who mattered to him. And as Jack stared up at Tyler, the doctor realized for the first time just how easy it would be to hurt Jack Harkness, something he had no desire to do.

And so he moved slowly, crawling onto the bed and hovering above Jack, content to simply kiss him. After so many months together, it no longer startled him when Jack whispered, 'Doc,' against his lips. He knew he looked a great deal like a man who changed Jack's life. . .oh, his hair was quite a bit longer, and he wasn't quite as manic, but Tyler wore the same kind of street clothes, and amusingly enough, Tyler actually was a doctor (a Doctor of Philosophy, but a doctor nonetheless). And right now, the kind of medicine that his friend (with benefits) needed was touch. Jack was an incredibly tactile individual, something Tyler learned about him almost immediately. Now Tyler knew where he was going and what he was doing.

He pulled back, just a little, and whispered, "Sit up, so we can get your shirts off. You wear too many layers." That made the other man smile and Jack began to unbutton his shirt. Tyler batted his hands away and said firmly, "I'll do it." Jack's smile brightened a little, a familiar light in his eyes, but he obeyed. Tyler carefully unbuttoned the shirt, taking note of the rip in the fabric and making a mental note to ask Rinna if she could repair the shirt. The next layer was the t-shirt. Again, Jack made a move to strip it off, and again, Tyler batted his hands away, this time saying, "I like getting my hands on your skin, Jack. Hands up." Now Jack's smile was downright flirtatious, and Tyler silently cheered that his evil master plan was working.

And he enjoyed the feel of Jack's skin under his hands, the incredible warmth the other man exuded, to say nothing of the soft moans and gasps that his touch wrung from his bed partner. He pressed a light kiss to Jack's forehead, murmuring, "I'll take off your boots and trousers next. And then I'll kiss you, and hold you all night. We don't even have to talk if you don't want to." He pulled back to look into the bright blue eyes, and was pleased to see the agreement to this plan. Excellent. Then again, Jack was generally a reasonable man, just as long as you didn't harm someone under his protection.

Tyler kissed his forehead again, and then set to work. His first order of business was to remove the familiar boots and socks, which was easily accomplished. He rubbed his thumb along the arch of Jack's bare foot, drawing a barely stifled gasp. Tyler paused long enough to smirk, and then shifted his attention to the other side, stroking his thumb along the arch, across the heel, over the ankle. He pressed light kisses to the top of each foot, before allowing each to drop, and going to work on the trousers. Tyler smiled at the slight hitch in Jack's breathing as he unfastened and slid the trousers down his body, peppering kisses down the length of Jack's body as he did.

Once Jack was stripped, Tyler removed his own shirt and trousers and settled into the bed, drawing the other man into his arms. Jack snuggled close, drawing a smile from Tyler. However, he said nothing, forgoing his usual teasing to run his fingers through Jack's dark hair and down his spine. However, he couldn't help asking, "Am I much like him? Your Doctor?" Jack only told him that he met his Doctor at a time when he did a lot he wasn't proud of, and this Doctor made him a better man. Tyler had his doubts about that. Far more likely, Jack was always a good man, but lost sight of that for a time. This Doctor most likely reminded him of his true self and who he really wanted to be. But he would never tell Jack that. Everyone had illusions of some kind.

The man in his arms huffed a little, replying, "Not really. You look like him. . .feel like him, and even smell like him. But. . .you're Tyler. I know, sometimes I call you 'Doc' or 'Doctor,' but I know you're Tyler." The Briton pressed a light kiss to Jack's forehead again, holding him close. _Well, not everyone can say that_, he thought. Jack continued after a moment, his voice very soft, "But sooner or later, you'll go home to England. . .or resent me for not growing old, for not staying dead." There was no anger in his voice, only simple acceptance and it broke Tyler's heart. The worst part was that Jack was right: one or the other would happen and maybe even both. Jack went on, "So I enjoy what time we have together and make the most of it."

"Is that why you're friends with the Kellers?" he asked, a question he long wanted to ask. Jack's friendship with the up-and-coming soldier and his family was one of the many oddities about the immortal. All three girls. . .Lacey, Bronwyn, and Cecilia. . .utterly adored him and were always polite and kind to Tyler himself. The only thing that even implied disapproval from the family was Rinna's not-so-subtle warning of what she would do to him if he ever hurt Jack. Tyler shuddered in spite of himself. Rinna was a small woman, but there was no doubt in his mind that she would carry out all of her threats if he was foolish enough to cross her. Which he wasn't.

Jack took so long to answer, he thought at first the other man was asleep. However, Jack said softly, "There is no pretense. I don't understand what Rinna believes or what she's teaching the girls, but those are her beliefs. They give her comfort, they give her strength. And she isn't comfortable with all of my choices, but she, they all, accepted me as I am. You know what Lacey said when she finally processed what happened, that I couldn't stay dead? She said, '_I'm sorry_.' She didn't assume it would be wonderful to be immortal, she actually thought about what it would mean, being unable to die."

Tyler swallowed hard, feeling guilty anew for resenting the child. He asked softly, "Does she know there were other times when you died protecting her?" Jack bobbed his head against Tyler's collarbone, and the professor closed his eyes. How exactly did one live with the knowledge that a person sacrificed his life, repeatedly, to protect them? Tyler decided he didn't want to know what that felt like, to see Jack die, and know it was done to protect you? He shuddered, and wondered if that was why some left the man in his arms-if it wasn't resentment at all, but guilt. He knew how much it hurt Jack to come back to life, after all. To be the cause of such pain. . .

"Three times," Jack murmured and Tyler's hand stilled. However, the other man continued, "three times I died protecting her. And I'd do it again. And again, and again, as many times as I have to. And do you know why?" He pulled back, ever so slightly, just enough for the men to look at each other. Tyler shook his head and Jack said softly, "Because they give me a soft place to land, after each assignment. Even when they disapprove of what I do or the way I might have to do it, the Kellers give me shelter and sanctuary. One or all three of the girls will crawl into my lap, and simply love me. They forgive me even when I don't think I don't deserve to be forgiven. Sometimes, they even think I did something that doesn't require forgiveness." Tyler bit back a smile at the astonishment in Jack's voice.

However, he said only, "Then I'm glad you have them." He knew there would come a time when he had to go back to Yorkshire. Jack was still unable to return to Britain, and had no idea when that situation would be resolved. But he had the Kellers, and like Tyler himself, they provided him with a soft place to land. More than that, they loved him, all of him, even the parts that would have sent lesser people scurrying for the hills. He murmured again, kissing Jack's forehead, "I'm glad you have them, lad."

Jack hummed sleepily, murmuring, "He used to call me that, too. Told me I had to be bigger on the inside. He woulda liked the Kellers. They're bigger on the inside. So are you." He gave a soft sigh and completely relaxed in Tyler's arms. Asleep then. He thought over Jack's soft assertion that he was bigger on the inside. Tyler wasn't entirely sure what it meant. . .but decided that he could wait until the following morning to ask Jack. He pressed one final kiss to Jack's temples, and then followed him into sleep. In the morning, he would think about something for the Kellers, as a way to thank them for being there for Jack when he couldn't be, for being Jack's soft place to land.


End file.
